Pharmaceutical Camels
Overview Genetically Modified Organisms are all created for a purpose, especially those that can have a big effect on a large population. Although camels are known to be domesticated by humans and used for transportation purposes, Genetically Modified camels have new jobs that will soon prove to be more useful. Researchers in Dubai are creating camels that can produce pharmaceutical proteins in their milk. In 2009, The Reproductive Biology Laboratory at Dubai's Camel Reproduction Center created Injaz, the first camel calf ever cloned. Pharmaceutical Camels are essentially clones that are used for medical advancements. Genetic Modifications Since the beginning of camel cloning development, scientists in Dubai have created a cell bank for special camel breeds that are good milk producers. These camels are "created" by inserting exogenous DNA into embryonic camel cells and then inserting the embryo into the surrogate mother. A similar process has been already performed with goats milk by inserting a specific gene of interest. The general idea is illustrated in Figure 2. Inserting human genes to produce a human protein within another animal may seem like a far-fetched idea, but it does work and can have incredibly positive consequences. Inserting protein-coding genes for insulin (for Diabetes patients) or clotting factors (for Hemophilia patients) can soon prove to be effective medically as well as financially. Camels vs. Cows As of now a transgenic organism has less than a 5% chance of being born and on top of that, the gestation period for camels is 13-14 months. This means that the chances of delivering a healthy camel is very slim and the amount of time it would take for lactation to occur is lengthy. Although cows are better producers of milk they do not have tolerance for harsh conditions and are also more susceptible to disease. Due to the heat and dry conditions in the Middle East and North Africa, camels have an advantage for producing milk as opposed to cows. As genetically modified cows milk has proven to be effective in containing human proteins, they are not suited for geographical locations like Dubai. Therefore, if scientists in Dubai can induce efficient transgenic protein production in camels, the proteins can be isolated, purified, and sold within the pharmaceutical industry. Goals As this process requires a lot of time and research, the team in Dubai is approaching success. This project has been going since the birth of Injaz in 2009, and expect to see results in (or around) 2014. The production of insulin and clotting factors in camels milk is hopefully supposed to lower the cost of these pharmaceutical proteins for people in the area. The same has been done for other GMO's such as plants. Although this project is still in progress and has a long way to go before the transgenic proteins have a chance to go on the market, there is a lot of hope for the pharmaceutical industry and the ability to produce affordable medicine to people that need it. References 1. GM Camel Milk for Pharmaceutical Production (Pharmaceutical International) 2.First GM Camels to be Engineered for Drug Production (Scidev.net) 3. Genetically Modified Camels to Act like Pharmacies (The National; UAE) 4. Production of Recombinant Therapeutic Proteins in the Milk of Transgenic Animals (Biopharminternational.com)